Two Illinois men were Tuesday sentenced to 15 years and 10 months and 14 years and two months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the 2017 bombing of Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, officials stated.
On Jan. 24, 2019, Michael McWhorter, 33, and Joe Morris, 26, both of Clarence, Illinois, pleaded guilty in federal court in Minnesota.
(March 2018 News Report)
The charges included intentionally obstructing, and attempting to obstruct, by force and the threat of force, the free exercise of religious beliefs; carrying and using a destructive device during and in relation to crimes of violence; possession of a machine gun; conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats and violence; and attempted arson.
“McWhorter and Morris carried out a violent plan to attack a house of worship as people peacefully prayed inside,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
“Hate-fueled acts of violence like the bombing of the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center violate our laws and run contrary to our values as a nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This heinous bombing instilled fear in an entire faith community.”
McWhorter and Morris were recruited by Emily Claire Hari, 51, formerly known as Michael Hari, to join a terrorist militia group called “The White Rabbits” in the summer of 2017.
According to court documents, Hari recruited McWhorter and Morris to join the militia, which Hari outfitted with paramilitary equipment and assault rifles.
On Aug. 4 and 5, 2017, Hari, McWhorter and Morris drove in a rented pickup truck from Illinois to Bloomington, Minnesota, to bomb the Islamic Center.
About an hour outside of Minnesota, Hari disclosed to McWhorter and Morris that there was a pipe bomb in the truck and that they were going to bomb a mosque.
Hari targeted the Islamic Center specifically to terrorize Muslims into believing they are not welcome in the United States and should leave the country, officials stated.
According to court documents, Hari, McWhorter and Morris arrived at Islamic Center at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Aug. 5, 2017.
Morris used a sledgehammer to break the window of the Imam’s office at The Center and threw a plastic container with a mixture of diesel fuel and gasoline into the office.
McWhorter then lit the fuse on a 20-pound black powder pipe bomb and threw it through the broken window. McWhorter and Morris ran back to the truck where Hari was waiting in the driver’s seat.
The three sped away from the building and drove back to Illinois. When the pipe bomb exploded, the blast caused extensive damage to the Imam’s office.
It also ignited the gasoline and diesel mixture, causing extensive fire and smoke damage. At the time of the bombing, several worshipers were gathered in the mosque for morning prayers.
According to court documents, on Nov. 7, 2017, Hari, McWhorter and Morris attempted to set fire to the Women’s Health Practice in Champaign, Illinois. Morris used a sledgehammer to break a window and placed a PVC device containing thermite powder in the Women’s Health Practice.
The device did not ignite and was found on the floor by an employee of the Women’s Health Practice when the employee arrived to work later that morning.
According to court documents, on Dec. 16, 2017, McWhorter and Morris participated in an armed home invasion in the town of Ambia, Indiana, where they dressed as police officers and carried firearms, including two that had been illegally converted into machine guns.
Hari, McWhorter and Morris also carried out armed robberies of two Walmart stores, one in Watseka, Illinois, and one in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, on Dec. 2, and 17, 2017, respectively.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.